Begin Again

EIGENGRAU

It was grey, the sight of it all. 

The morning Delano returned, he paused at the doorstep, witnessing what would have been the fight of the century. It wasn't bloody like the World War I or II, and it definitely wasn't undead like the World War Z. It was a miniature of the Cold War. 

It has been years since the last time they fought like this, it was epic in a way that the house seemed to have broken into two individual pieces, and Delano felt like he was sitting right on the fence in between. The both of his parents weren't talking to each other. 

'I want the files by tonight, mademoiselle Helen,' Corinne ended her phone call which has been going on for the past hour. The frown on her little face making her look like a few years older. There was this heavy pounding in her heart every time she saw Flavien since she uncovered his little secret. 

Delano knew it too well. Helen was a lawyer. He had always known how Corinne was extremely efficient in her work and looked up to that trait, but it had never occurred to him that he would, for once, be disappointed at the speed she was taking to cut her ties with her soon-to-be ex-husband. He wished it wouldn't come so fast. 

This isn't work, this is family. Delano spoke to himself thoughtfully. Though his father did not seem to put it that way either. 

That evening, Delano was startled by the doorbell on his way to the kitchen for a glass of water. He opened the wooden doors with a grim expression, only to find himself staring at a short and plump lady in professional grey Club Monaco blazer and ankle pants, a stack of files in her hand, a pair of Jimmy Choo leather heels, and a straight look in her face.  

'Helen, right? This way,' Delano greeted politely, failing to hide the sadness in his tone. The lady eyed him mindfully. 

'You know about this, don't you?' Helen spoke, her voice with authority. Delano got the feeling that she wasn't someone to mess with, and his mother must have been very serious about her decision. 

'About what?' Delano said, his mind drifting off to somewhere in Paris where they used to live before moving to Los Angeles. 

'Your parents' divorce.' The lady answered shortly. It wasn't much of a conversation. She was just here to get her job done. Delano's fingers twitched at the mention of the word. As much as he had guessed it was coming, the sound of the word still ached his ears. 

He was silent throughout the rest of the walk down the hall to his mother's workplace, where she had been waiting for the past couple of hours. 

'Mother, she's here,' Delano left the room abruptly, turned round a corner and almost bumped into his father. 

'I assume the lawyer's here,' Flavien cleared his throat. Delano gasped under his breath. The last time they talked had turn out to be a disaster with bits of broken glass and pieces of shattered hearts. 

'I heard the door,' The man continued, not patient enough to hear Delano's answer, if there was even one. Then he paused. For the first time, his father was at a loss of words. But Delano was glad.

'Excuse me,' he bolted up the long wooden stairway and disappeared into one of the corridors, without noticing that his father's confused eyes on his back. 

'Let's get this through, I don't have all night,' Flavien said when he entered the room, eyeing the lawyer and turning slowly to get a good look of his wife. She was a beauty, and he had been selfish to have wanted more, but he did not regret anything, his egoism was too high to admit it. 

Corinne bit her lower lip. A part of her wanted to get vengeance, she wanted him to pay for what he had ruined, but another part of her wanted to believe that the man she had loved was still breathing inside that heartless monster, that he would tell her that he was sorry and promise that it would never happen again. But she knew it too well that more patience for him would mean cutting herself deeper in the wound he had already left behind, moreover it was unlikely for him to feel apologetic. 

As quickly as she could, Corinne read over the documents and placed her signature at the places where it should be signed. Her heart throbbed at the thought that she was ending things with the person she had loved the most for the past twenty years. How did she end up falling for a jerk like him? She didn't know but she didn't want to care anymore.

'Done.' Flavien said when he had finished his part as well, though Corinne was disgusted when his voice came out too cheerfully than she had expected, he was obviously glad to end things with her.

'I'm leaving tomorrow. Delano is coming with me.' Corinne broke the silence after Helen has left the room, picking her things up from the table, not even looking at Flavien in his eyes. Her heart was cold.

'Gladly.' His word pierced through her heart, as if it had stopped beating for a few seconds, before she returned to conscience. Flavien was already halfway out of the room. Then he turned around to face her once again, this time his eyes were mocking.

'Don't forget to tell him to leave his dreams as well, he will have to kiss them goodbye. I'll make sure that you two get out of my life for good. There will be no return once you walk out of my door.' Flavien said with sarcasm, and walked away, leaving the door half opened, and his wife staring at him with disbelief. This was the longest sentence he had said to her in days, and it sure did hurt like hell.